Why was Jamaat event permitted, asks Deshmukh

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday raised several questions over the Ijtema (international congregation) organised at Tablighi Jamaat headquarters

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday raised several questions over the Ijtema (international congregation) organised at Tablighi Jamaat headquarters in Nizamuddin in Delhi last month, pointing a finger at the central government for the entire fiasco.

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The minister questioned why the permission was given to such a huge religious gathering even as coronavirus outbreak had begun in the country. He also questioned whether certain important persons had relations with Tablighi Jamaat, and why Maulana Saad, who is the main organiser of the programme, is absconding after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited the headquarters of Tablighi Jamaat at midnight of the event.

Deshmukh’s remarks came in even as his party chief Sharad Pawar told the Prime Minister Narendra Modi that the focus of the government should be made on containing the epidemic rather than blaming a particular community for rise in Covid-19 in backdrop of Delhi’s Nizamuddin’s incident involving Tablighi Jamaat. He also suggested to PM Modi to put on hold his government’s central vista beautification project and also asked for release of state’s share in the central taxes.

“What were the secret talks that took place between Doval and Maulana Saad past midnight (of the event last month) after the former visited the Jamaat headquarters in Nizamuddin. Why Maulana Saad is absconding day after their meeting and where is he now,” said Deshmukh in a statement issued on his letterhead and signed by him. In it he also questioned why both Doval and Delhi police commissioner maintained silence on the entire issue.

“Most people have acknowledged the seriousness of Covid-19 epidemic. The Nizamuddin incident in Delhi raised concerns about the spread of the disease. Now, we need to focus on how to prevent the spread of the disease. It is not appropriate to blame or criticize any community,” Pawar said in his interaction with the Prime Minister held on Wednesday to discuss solutions to deal with the crisis following epidemic outbreak.

The home minister had, on Tuesday, announced to take stern action against 50-60 attendees of the Tablighi Jamaat programme for not having reported to the authorities despite several appeals. He said that out of 1400 such attendees of the programme, rest have been traced out by the authorities.

The group had organised a religious gathering between March 13 and 15 attended by more than 2000 people. The gathering believably led to a spike in the spread of coronavirus after the attendees went back to their hometowns across the country.

Deshmukh has said that the union home ministry is responsible for this as it failed to stop the gathering organised by the religious group. Without naming anybody, Deshmukh has trained the guns believably at the union home ministry for giving permission to such a huge gathering after the outbreak of the Covid-19.

Pawar also said that the central government should also look at how the state government’s income will increase. “States have not yet received their share of GST. It should be transferred immediately. Also, agriculture sector has been severely damaged. The central government should take steps to provide immediate relief to the farmers and those dependent on agriculture,” the NCP chief suggested the PM.

Pawar opined that the government need take drastic steps to mitigate the financial crisis and hence non-plan expenditure will have to be reduced. “The central government has proposed to construct a new Parliament House. This plan should also be reconsidered or it could be postponed after examining the priorities,” he said.

The veteran leader also objected to the orders issued by the governors directly to the bureaucracy and said that the instructions should be routed through the chief minister office or chief secretary to avoid multiple power centres. “It is heard that in some states the instructions are being issued by Honorable Governor directly to the bureaucracy. Though Hon. Governor has the authority to do so, the instructions have to be routed through Hon. @CMOMaharashtra and the Chief Secretary’s office in order to avoid multiple power centers and probable hindrances in the coordination of administration, Pawar tweeted.